Three World Champions have been named at the High Liner Foods IFDS Worlds 2014, Heiko Kroeger of Germany is the 2.4 mR World Champion, the SKUD-18 World Champion is Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) and the Sonar class World Champion for 2014 is Bruno Jourdren, Nicolas Vimont-Vicary and Eric Flaguel (FRA).
In addition to the champions, other sailors and teams have won spots for their countries to compete in the 2016 Rio Paralympics. A full list of the qualified countries appears below.
The German winner of the 2.4 mR title, Heiko Kroeger narrowly won his eighth world title over his nearest rival Helena Lucas (GBR) in the final race of the regatta and holds a silver medal from the London 2012 Paralympics. The SKUD-18 winners, Liesl Tesch and Daniel Fitzgibbon started their campaign for the Rio 2016 Paralympics here at Halifax.
The French Sonar champions won the world title last summer in Kinsale, Ireland and are now two time World Champions.
Competition was stiff with 24 countries represented at the event. Forty-nine sailors were vying for the 2.4 mR title. Fourteen teams of two raced in the SKUD-18 fleet and eighteen teams of three were on the Sonar course.
The president of the International Association of Disabled Sailing (IFDS), John Twomey of Ireland described the regatta as prestigious,
"We now have a number of nations that have qualified here in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 2016 Rio Paralympics."
The legacy of the High Liner Foods IFDS Worlds 2014 is a fully-accessible sailing club at RNSYS, with new docks, ramps and other facilities built to accommodate any level of mobility challenge. Government partners, corporate sponsors and club members paid for major infrastructure upgrades of $250,000. A long-time club member has also donated a boat that was re-christened and updated as a barrier free Race Committee vessel now named the "J MacG." The Sail Able Association of Nova Scotia is based at the RNSYS.
Nations qualifying country places for the Rio 2016 Paralympics:
2.4 mR
Germany
Great Britain
France
Australia
USA
Norway
Canada
Finland
SKUD-16
Australia
Great Britain
Italy
Canada
USA
Sonar
France
Canada
Australia
Great Britain
Greece
Germany
Norway